Because of the mission from the crown prince, Lawrence, Avril remained in the Duchy of Lancester with Dylan.

Soon, a week will have passed since Teresa went missing. Teresa was a mistress of the former duke who had been suspected of distributing drugs. Upon being cornered, she escaped by jumping out of a second-floor window. To this day, she still hadn’t been found.

Meanwhile, two important guests had arrived at the residence of the Duchy of Lancester, the crown prince, Lawrence, and his fiancée, Alexandra.

The two had come all the way from the royal capital due to the drug scandal, but contrary to the impression they gave to the public, they were surprisingly relaxed there.

“Dylan, what’s with your shitty father’s taste in women? She did not just jump out of the window, land on a cushion of hay, and run away without being caught to this day. As far as I know, only one other woman is capable of such a feat. I think when it comes to women, your taste is surprisingly similar with your father’s…”

Who are they talking about?

Several reception sets were placed in the spacious salon. Avril was supposed to be sipping tea with Alexandra a little further away while Dylan and Lawrence discussed work. But for some reason, Avril felt Lawrence’s eyes on her.

When she tentatively smiled back, Lawrence waved at her. Apparently, he was indeed watching her, but she couldn’t figure out the reason. Thus, the conversation between Dylan and Lawrence continued.

“…I have no words.”

“Ahaha, you not objecting is rare. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you scowl. Wouldn’t you be more adorable if you were to act your age?”

“…”

While Lawrence was smiling in a good mood, Alexandra, who was sitting across from Avril, watched him with amusement.

Avril couldn’t find words to describe her feelings at that moment.

So, Lord Dylan is indeed depressed…

After they failed to capture Teresa, Dylan clearly seemed depressed. Now, he had adjusted his mindset and started looking for her again.

However, to his long-time friend, Lawrence, Dylan, who was depressed, looked so adorable that he wanted to tease him. Dylan didn’t seem to be blaming Avril, but she wondered if there was anything she could do to help.

As Avril was thinking about that, Alexandra gently called out to her. Alexandra seemed to take her silence as a sign of being depressed.

“Lady Avril, that man—His Highness Lawrence—is twisted. I’m sure Lord Dylan understands this, but please tell him not to worry. Lady Avril has nothing to worry about, either. No matter how you look at it, it was an unfortunate accident.”

“I see. Thank you, Alexandra.”

“Lady Avril, I’d appreciate if you could raise Lord Dylan’s spirits.”

“I got it!”

I see, that seems to be the best option.

The other day, we held a tea party to give Lord Dylan a break, but how should I go about cheering him up…?

When Avril nodded in agreement, Alexandra smiled meaningfully and raised her hand in a beguiling manner. Then, her maid, who was waiting in the corner of the room, brought over a gift box.

“This is for Lady Avril.”

“This is…?”

Avril immediately opened the box. Inside was a cloth delicately woven with pure white lace. The base was made of silk tulle while the other side was transparent.

As she lifted the cloth from the box and held it under the light, Avril tilted her head.

This is…? Oh, maybe it’s a veil to go with a wedding dress… It seems quite small…

“It’s a popular dress from our company. It’s made of a particularly soft fabric that is hard to find. I also wear it occasionally.”

“Huh… This is a dress!? Wouldn’t you be cold wearing this?”

Come to think of it, something similar happened before…

In the past, didn’t Alexandra bring a backless dress for bad girls?

Incidentally, Corinna’s maid, Carol, had proceeded to send that to Avril’s house and Corinna seemed to really like it.

I admire Lady Alexandra’s preferences, as it really befits a villainess.

Leaving aside the fact that the mysterious dress was given to her, Avril continued to admire it, to which Alexandra smiled bewitchingly.

“This is nightwear. I also wear it sometimes.”

“!?”

““Ahem!””

Dylan and Lawrence, who were speaking a bit away, choked on their tea at the same time.

---

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***T/N: Hahaha I do wonder how will she be like when she finally undense herself.

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